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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. roll — a cake
  3. squash — the sport
  4. stock — goods
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. craft — boats
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. ball — a dance
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. squash — to crush
  14. craft — a skill
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. pass — a permit
  17. roll — a list
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. ball — a great time
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. branch — a division
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. stock — shares

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com